32PFL3188H/12 issues

Hi,

I've recently bought a Philips 32PFL3188H/12 model and so far it seems returning to a Philips TV after 10 years was the biggest mistake I made.

1) For starters, I cannot seem to find any online documentation and/or support for this model, it's like it doesn't officially exist or is supported by Philips. Quite hard to believe for any new electronic product in 2014's world, not to mention for one that comes from such a reknown manufacturer. I was specifically looking for a possible software upgrade but in vain. I guess I'd better copy the user's manual just in case, much like I used to do back in the 90's...

2) When I play video files from a USB flash, I cannot seem to be able to select the picture format I prefer. I am surprisingly stuck with some kind of annoying "Stretch" option that distorts image as obviously a 1920x800 input cannot completely fill a 1920x1080 frame. Given that the vast majority of films come in 1280x544 (for 720p) or 1920x800 (for 1080p), this persistent function renders the usb video playback useless. I have tampered with several tvs but never was I unable to at least playback the input files at the original aspect ratio. This is really unheard of.

3) Last surprise, so far, has been the discovery of no analog audio outputs whatsoever, not even a humble 3.5" headphones out. So I have a Philips wireless headphones set (SHC series) that accepts analog inputs and had so far worked fine with a 10 y.o. Sony but apparently is incompatible with my new Philips tv. Thank you for removing this (apparently) super expensive output and depriving us from the ability to use analog headsets.

I would be really interested to hear a reply to all or some of the above although I am not holding my breath. In my opinion, and comparing with direct competitors, this tv (and the rest of this series) suffer from really poor design choices that have completely ruined Philips image in my eyes. As you have understood, I am not asking for any fancy features from a 280 euro tv set, but rather the obvious, expected capabilities available in much much older and cheaper models of other brands.

Im planning on buying the 39PFL3188H/12 model (same as yours but 39 inch).
From reading the forum it seems there are several issues with USB recording and playback but since i dont use it anyway that does not make me worry too much.

How's the stand? Does the panel wobble too much hwn you move it or does it sit firmly in place?
Hows the image and colors?

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